Without You
by joannacamilley
Summary: Set during the wedding preparation 6x21. Stefan is desperate for Caroline to talk to him after weeks of avoidance. Is he able to convince her to give them a try? One shot.


**A/N: So, umm, I know I said I wouldn't be writing for the next few weeks, but after the last episode, I had to write this. Damn Caroline for walking away from Stefan! It was on my mind this morning so instead of studying for my imminent final, I wrote this instead. So if I don't get a good grade on my final, its all your guys fault.**

 **A big thanks to iwillforgetdamon as always for helping me write and giving me ideas. Also, I just want to give a special shoutout to Rachel for always loving my fics. You're awesome!**

 **I'm working on a Steroline AU fic I will probably start posting next week, so look out for that!**

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Caroline had been avoiding him all day. At one point, he was standing in the way of where she was trying to place yet another bouquet of flowers so she conspicuously twirled around and practically ran to the other side of the wedding. Elena was unfortunately helping her, whispering to her whenever he made his way over. What a traitor. He had spent the better part of the day trying to convince her boyfriend to not take the cure. Sure, half of it was because he didn't want to lose his brother either, but the least Elena could do would be to help him talk to Caroline.

Eventually, it seemed like she had officially run out of things to do. She kept rearranging flowers, shifting chairs here and there, and yelling at the servers for not being cheery enough. Yep, old, neurotic, control freak Caroline was definitely back.

He found his chance when she started looking around for Damon, the best man. She was so stressed out by his disappearance that she barely noticed Stefan walking up to her until it was too late. He was standing in front of her with a shy smile when her eyes finally landed on him. Her mouth opened for a quick gasp and she took a step back, clearly debating if it was too late to run away.

"Caroline," Stefan breathed out, hesitantly reaching to grab her arm. He wasn't sure if she was okay with him touching her yet (though they had done much, _much_ more a few weeks ago).

She stiffened at his touch but allowed it. Holding her chin up high, she looked him squarely in the eye, even though hers seemed to hold some fear. "What do you want? I'm busy right now."

He held her gaze before putting his hand in his pocket. "Can we talk for a minute?" When she opened her mouth to object, he continued. "You've been avoiding me for a while. We have to talk about this."

She pursed her lips in discontent but nodded. He held his hand out for her to take, which she did after a few seconds of hesitation. He led her away from the ceremony, the loudly talking people, and distractions. They sat on a few hay bales a couple hundred of feet away from both the party and a barn.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Stefan started, cutting right to the chase.

She bit her lip. She had been trying to avoid this conversation for a while, but now there was no way out of it. "I can't do this, Stefan," she admitted, dropping her eyes.

He put his hand on top of hers, startling her a bit. "Do what?" His voice was so gentle, she almost regretted what she was about to say.

"Us. We can't... I ruined everything!" Tears started pooling in her eyes and she quickly wiped them away, careful to not mess up her makeup.

"No, you didn't. I don't blame you for anything."

"How can you not? I made you turn off your humanity, for God's sake. What kind of a friend does that?"

Stefan's heart dropped a little. Friend. Is that all she thinks of him now? "Yeah, well, I made you kill people. So all the pain you're going through over that, it's all my fault."

"I knew what you were like without humanity, though. I was selfish and I just made you turn it off because I didn't want to face how I felt about you." The tears were unfortunately smearing her makeup by now and she gave up trying to fix it.

"How you felt?" When he didn't elaborate, she looked up at him. His green eyes were opened wide, full of fear and... passion? "Do you not feel that anymore?"

"It doesn't matter, Stefan." She looked up at the sky, trying to keep the remaining tears from falling out. "We can't be together."

"Why not?" When she didn't answer, he continued. "Caroline, we can do this over. Start it over the right way, right here, right now. All you have to do is give me the chance to show you that we're perfect for each other."

She was shaking her head even before he finished. "It's too late, Stefan. We've already messed everything up." She got up to leave, but he pulled her back by her hand.

"I refuse to believe that this is over. Yeah, we had our bumps, but we're both here now. Please, Caroline," he was outright begging now. "I don't think I can do any of this without you. I don't think I can live the rest of eternity without knowing what it's like to call you mine."

A little sob escaped her mouth as he stood up and took her in his arms. He was so warm, so comforting, and every feeling for him she had been repressing came rushing back full force. She didn't want to resist anymore. All she wanted was for him to never let go.

It didn't take much for him to guide her lips to his. He tasted like the woods on a rainy day, mixed in with the saltiness of her tears. His fingers gently dried her cheeks as kiss became deeper. Their tongues intertwined, making Caroline melt against him.

How could she resist this before? How could she ever think she could deny this from herself? She pulled back for a second to catch his eyes. His pupils were fully dilated and he breathed deeply. Nothing else around them mattered. He pulled her impossibly close and connected their mouths again. He kissed her with more passion and a heat flared up in her core. She knew he was thinking along the same lines when a bulge prodded her stomach.

It took a lot to pull away from him again, but it had to be said. "Not here," she murmured, looking at the large group of people standing within sight.

Stefan looked too and then nodded his head toward the barn. Grabbing her hand, he lead her to the doors before capturing her lips. Excitement bubbled up inside her as they pushed the doors open and ungracefully stumbled inside. She let out a giggle and froze when the sound of movement caught her ears. Both she and Stefan stepped away from each other when they saw the barn was already occupied.

"Well this is awkward," Damon quipped from his position on top of Elena. She was fiercely blushing as she tried to hide beneath her boyfriend, as if their lack of clothing didn't already give away what they were doing.

Shock and embarrassment were flooding through Caroline, but anger won her attention. "Seriously, guys?!" she almost screeched. "I've been looking for you two for almost an hour!"

"What can I say? Elena really gets me going," Damon smirked, causing his brother and Caroline to groan in disgust. "Besides, you can't shame us. What exactly were you guys going to do in here anyways?" he raised an eyebrow.

Stefan and Caroline looked at each other before he grabbed her hand. "Come on," he murmured as he pulled her away. "Let's go somewhere else."

Damon's mocking laughter was cut off and replaced by sounds of skin on skin. Caroline shuddered; how hadn't she heard that before they went in?

"That just might scar me for life," Stefan muttered as he tried to find another quiet place.

"Tell me about it," she rolled her eyes before getting an idea. She took the lead and pulled him into a closet that was used to store the decorations earlier. "Is this place good?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Perfect," he said as he nuzzled his nose on her cheek. "Just like you." Their kissing was more charged now in the privacy of the room. Caroline went to undo his tie but he brought his hands up to stop her. "We don't have much time," he mumbled against her lips, still half kissing her.

The control freak part of her brain began obsessing over it. What time was it? When is the ceremony starting? Is Jo completely ready? What about Alaric? Is he passed out drunk somewhere, because he was definitely half way there when she spoke to him earlier.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Stefan hitched her leg around his hip. He grinded into her, creating a delicious friction against her center. She couldn't contain her moan when he slipped a hand between them and stroked her through her underwear. His eyes caught hers and he seemed to be silently asking her if she was sure about this. She yanked his head down to hers for a sloppy kiss as she desperately tried to get that friction again. Taking her action as a yes, he lifted her other leg and carried her to a table before setting her down. His hands massaged her thighs as he crept them closer to where she wanted them to be.

Her body was throbbing so she quickly unbuckled his pants and shoved them down his hips. He grinned in amusement before his face transformed in pleasure when her hand glided down the length of him.

"Come on," she sighed against his lips as she pumped him slowly. "I'm beyond ready."

He nodded and slipped her panties down her legs and across the room. Her legs locked around his waist as he pulled her to the edge of the table. She held her breath in anticipation but he didn't move. Instead, he cupped her face in his hands.

"Caroline," he breathed out, making her look at him. "I love you so much."

Her heart soared at his words and for a moment, she didn't know what to say. Instead, she pulled him into a kiss and guided him inside her. They both moaned once he was completely in, and it was then when she spoke. "I love you too."

They kept their arms wrapped around each other as he slowly pulled out before pressing his hips flush against hers again. This was way better than before. On a whole other level. Her dressed was pooled around her waist and she could feel his pants rubbing against her legs but it didn't matter. All that mattered was the two of them were finally together in the way they were always meant to be.

Stefan kept the rhythm slow enough that they could keep their lips connected. He would pull out gently then snap his hips forward a bit faster than before, making Caroline gasp and moan against his lips. Eventually, it wasn't enough. Caroline leaned back so he could hit a whole bunch of new nerves within her.

"God, you're so beautiful," Stefan whispered as he curled a finger into a lock of her hair. His fingers trailed down her neck and over her shoulder, where he pushed off her dress strap. His hand cupped her breast beneath the fabric and she let out such a loud moan, she worried people would find them. His pace started increasing, making the table creak and groan under their movements.

"Tell me you love me again," she gasped out, desperately grasping his arm. She was so close, she could almost taste it. He seemed to know it too because one of his hands slithered between their bodies to rub her bundle of nerves. She cried out and moved against him harder.

"Caroline, I've never loved anyone as much as I love you," he said ardently, his gaze never wavering from hers.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she shook with the power of her orgasm. Stefan thrusted a few times against her before he tensed as well. They rode out the waves together as Caroline collapsed onto the table. He leaned forward and rested his head on her chest as he tried to catch his breath.

It took a few minutes for them to calm down. When Stefan looked up at her, she could see his eyes were full of love, all for her. It made her tear up, even more when he reached up to wipe the tears away.

When he finally pulled away, she felt like a mess. She knew her makeup was completely smeared, her hair beyond help, and she couldn't ignore the wetness that was seeping out from between her legs. Partially embarrassed, she sat up and tried righting her dress straps before standing up to find her panties. Stefan had to hold her up when her legs wobbled dangerously, only making her blush more. He had already tucked himself back neatly in his pants so his eyes were on her as she bent down to pull her underwear up her legs. She didn't expect him to be right behind her when she turned around so she gasped a little in surprise.

"No regrets, right?" he asked, and she could see that he was nervous. How could he think she would reject him after _that_ happened?

"No regrets," she agreed as she leaned up for him to kiss her. He gladly obliged, though he kept the kiss short and sweet.

"I think it's almost time for the ceremony to start," he said against her lips, making her jerk back in alarm. What time was it? Were they late? How could anything go perfectly without her? He pulled her back when she tried to quickly leave the room. "Hey," he said, waiting until she calmed down a bit to continue. "I love you."

Letting out a breath, she gave him a genuine smile. "I love you too," she said and gave him a peck on the lips. "Now let me go and make sure that Damon isn't still screwing Elena so we can get this wedding on the road."

Stefan laughed and let her out of his grasp. "Will you be this way at our wedding?"

She paused, surprised he was even thinking that far ahead. "No," she decided. "I'll be much more focused on you to worry about how everything else is going."

"Yeah, right," he laughed again as they walked out of the closet together, hoping no one saw them. "I appreciate the sentiment though." He kissed her on the head and for the hundredth time that night, Caroline wondered how she ever thought she could live without him.


End file.
